Audio-Technica’s Beloved Headphones Finally Get a Makeover

Kick around the web forums dedicated to headphones — or just spend some time reading Gadget Lab, The Wirecutter, CNET, and countless other gadget sites — and you’ll see one set of headphones consistently recommended in the sub-$200 range. Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50 studio headphones are hands-down favorites, offering big 45-mm drivers, over-the-ear isolation, near-indestructible construction, and objectively transparent sound reproduction. And it’s not just snooty tech bloggers who love them. You’ll find ATH-M50s in use at mixing desks and in recording studios the world over.

They’re sort of like the Ford Crown Victoria, though. Big and reliable and consistent and stately, but also pretty dorky and not really that modern. Audio-Technica certainly knows this — the company has updated its much-beloved headphone to make it more mobile-friendly and fashion-conscious. The newly retooled ATH-M50x cans come with a slightly new design, detachable cables, and a less-boring color palette. They’ll be available around the end of February, and major web retailers are taking pre-orders now.

First of all, the new ATH-M50x comes with three detachable cables: a 1.2-meter coiled cable, a 1.2-meter straight cable, and a 3-meter straight cable. The quality of the earpads has been “refined,” though the company’s press materials don’t specify exactly how they’ve been improved. They look shinier. But honestly, any update to the earpads is welcome.

Finally, there’s a limited edition blue model that comes with brown earpads and a brown headband. The all-black and all-white options, which have been offered on the M50 previously, are also offered on the M50x. So if you want the most excellent audio quality you can get in a headphone for under $200, you now have the option of rocking a cable of the appropriate length, and maybe looking slightly cooler. Or at least more blue-brown.

There are new lesser ATHs as well: The ATH-M20x, ATH-M30x, and ATH-M40x also arrive in late February. But for real, nothing beats the King-Daddy M50.

A word about pricing: MSRP for the black and white models is $239, and $259 in blue. But the pre-order pricing on Amazon hits at $169 and $189, respectively. You can expect prices of the M50x to eventually drop well beyond that, too. I’ve seen ATH-M50 headphones priced anywhere between $100 and $140, with the fluctuations seemingly dependent on wind direction or the temperament of the Queen’s bowels.